Canteen also had a handgun and, according to Canteen, the teen began shooting at him first, striking him several times in the "upper extremities," police spokesman Sgt. Gary Gross said in a report.

Canteen said he returned fire, striking the teen "numerous times."

This was not the 5-feet 8-inch tall, 130-pound teen's first brush with violence. State records state he was a convicted felon arrested twice since age 12 for armed robbery with a gun, once for battery on a public or school employee and once for burglarizing a home.

Gross identified Smith as a documented gang member.

"This exchange of gunfire occurred in the courtyard in-between the duplex apartments at 516 & 504 Oregon Avenue,'' Gross wrote in a report.

In a telephone interview, Gross said the gang was one of several in the Polk County city with young members who are not aligned to any of the Florida's statewide street gangs.

He declined to identify the gang.

The teen was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m. at Lakeland Regional Medical Center.

Canteen was admitted there and his condition remains undisclosed.

The shooting that took place about two miles from Florida Southern College, known internally for its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed campus, remains under investigation.

It is unknown if Canteen holds a state concealed-weapon permit or if he will claim self-defense under the state's "stand your ground" law.

The teen could not legally possess or carry a handgun because of his age.